


Forgetting

by notcrindy



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, M/M, dedicated to Rids my sad Kravitz friend, just started thinking about how unsettling Old Elves probably are, so young-looking so seemingly spry and healthy but not there, this is my first attempt at Kravitz's POV and i am so abnormally nervous, this whole fic is about dementia/memory loss so if it triggers you don't read, today i aim to make them a little bit sad, yesterday i wrote about Old Man Taako and made a lot of people happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 19:15:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notcrindy/pseuds/notcrindy
Summary: Taako forgets.His family loves him regardless.





	Forgetting

Age had always been something of a non-issue with Taako, Kravitz thought.

There were many things about Taako that gave him cause to worry, certainly. Mortals inherently came with all of these different needs to eat, and there were so many health requirements they often ignored for optimal bodily function. Many of them, including Taako despite his protests, needed to rest (be it by sleep, which seemed common, or by things like meditation). The deprivation of it could be lethal; the excess of it made them sluggish. On _top_ of all that, they were prone to tricky things like illnesses of the mind that took root and festered there, diseases of various organs, and these were only barely scratching the surface. They could meet the end of someone’s weaponry, fall victim to a curse or spell, be in the wrong place at the wrong time--and none of those were particularly specific to Taako, anyway.

Even when you stripped all the common worries away, Taako was worrying. He felt that the instant he’d known about Taako’s various deaths; he felt that sitting across from him at the Chug ‘n’ Squeeze, knowing he had died an additional eleven times. He felt that even long after the Story and Song, when Taako would be upset but refuse to tell him why, when Taako would get carried away with work and nearly collapse from exhaustion, when Taako would go out for a night on the town and have a little too much to drink. He was worrying when he harmed himself on purpose, starved himself on purpose; he was worried when he’d go rigid, eyes afraid and far away, when they were intimate. He was worried when he’d finally be able to cry, and sob and sob.

(Kravitz always held him during these times.)

But most of these things, with time, got better. As with all couples dating, and then living together, and then married… ...they adjusted to the domesticity of life. Taako learned all of his irksome habits and had his own causes to worry, probably, which had always made Kravitz feel guilty. Kravitz knew all these terrifying things about Taako, and his mortality, and his emotional states, and how so much of him was put into jeopardy. Then, they made it work. He soothed Taako when needed; they fought occasionally. Taako was a comforting, soothing presence to Kravitz always; the fights were always solved in one way or another, and never anything damaging in the long run. Things worked out, generally, for the most part.

And the one thing Kravitz never worried about, through _all_ of this, was age.

Elves had an incredibly long lifespan compared to most mortals, after all. They could live to be up to 900, and they didn’t even age dramatically as their life came to a close. There was no reason for the thought to ever cross his mind, and Taako always looked so young and healthy.

“Can’t find my hat,” Taako grumbled one day in frustration. “You seen it anywhere?”

It was unusual for Taako to misplace an item that was so important to him, but Kravitz assumed that he was perhaps under a lot of stress with work and fame. He knew it was significant, so that was probably why Taako was acting so agitated, pacing back and forth until Kravitz found it on the floor of their room, underneath a pile of Taako’s clothes.

“ _Thanks,_ Bone Daddy,” he sighed with relief, and Kravitz blushed, struggling not to turn into a skeleton. That one always flustered and delighted him, even after so many years together. “You’re a real life-saver.”

“Well, not always, but. There you go. _Much_ better.” He placed it upon Taako’s head and planted a kiss on his lips.

“Hell _yeah_ it is,” his husband agreed. “Gotta keep up my signature _look,_ y’know? It’s Taako Tuesday and the people are hungry, as usual.”

“Myself _included,_ perhaps.”

Taako really was so beautiful. Over time, he grew to love those eccentricities about him so much. The way he kept his hair so long, so blonde, so flowing and beautiful and yet he kept so much of it underneath that hat. The way he’d insisted upon sewing new and different fabrics into it every few years, every time there was a new significant travel or event that warranted it. The way he’d insisted upon covering it with rhinestones and glitter and sequins and a pink bow that didn’t match. The way that he claimed to be on the cusp of fashion, dressed _incredibly_ well all things considered and did his makeup so meticulously only to wear such an eyesore around. It was so charming, so uniquely _him;_ Kravitz had memorized every freckle, every glint in the eye, every twitch of the mouth.

“Well, unlike them, you’re gettin’ some of this for _free_ later tonight.” He winked suggestively. “So try to sate your appetite until then, okay?”

“I’ll try my best, love,” Kravitz promised. He was busy today anyway. He usually was.

But the excitement of coming home to his husband carried him through his work day, even as bounties nearly got away, even as Lup and Barry embarrassed him slightly, and it was enough.

At a much later date, Taako slept through an important meeting. He’d been talking to Kravitz about this meeting for _weeks,_ what a big deal it would be for the brand and everything, and he was concerned and went to check on him to find him sound asleep.

“Darling.” It was so difficult to shake him awake. To _want_ to. Taako was often plagued with night terrors, but this sleep looked so _peaceful._ He was cuddling up to the pillow, his beautiful hair splayed every which way, catching in the sunlight. He looked so innocent and so lovely, but it had to be done. Kravitz was gentle about it. “I’m so sorry, my love, but you need to get up now...” He planted a kiss on his cheek.

He groaned. “Why? Don’t have anything important goin’ on today. Come back to bed, Kravvy…”

“Um, I’d love to, sweetheart, but that’s not true. Don’t you have an important meeting today?” For a moment, he felt foolish. Maybe he had the date wrong.

“Oh, _fuck,_ ” Taako swore as he sat upright and immediately swung his legs off the bed. “You’re _right._ How could I fucking _forget that?_ Because I’m a moron, I guess. Sheesh.”

“You are _not_ a moron,” Kravitz insisted sincerely. Though it was odd for him to forget…

He smiled weakly. “You’re too sweet, Krav. ‘cuz I really fuckin’... ...dinged this one up, didn’t I?” Kravitz realized that he was close to tears, and moved to comfort him, but he was already standing up. “Oh, well. Gotta make a quick call on the stone to Ren, I guess. Mostly sorry for lettin’ her down.”

“That’s not like you, Taako,” the stone crackled. “Are you okay?”

“Of _course_ I’m okay, Ren. I wish I had some excuse for you, actually. It just kinda slipped my mind. Ugh, I’m so wicked _embarrassed._ ”

“It’s okay, Taako. Um… ...these things happen, I… I reckon. We’ll just see if we can reschedule. Sound good?”

“Good as we can get, Ren. Thanks, doll.”

He was despondent for the rest of the day, berating himself.

“How could I _forget_ something like that? How--how does that _happen?_ ”

“Love, it’s okay,” Kravitz tried to reassure the clearly distraught elf, wishing he would just slow _down_ enough to allow himself to be held. “I’ll remind you next time.”

Taako turned to look at him, visibly stressed, even his hair frazzled. “You did _this time,_ though. Even though you didn’t _need_ to. Because I _always_ fucking remember. What’s wrong with me? Why am I such an _idiot?_ What--how--how do I even _deserve_ everything that I’ve earned? Fuck. I’m _worthless._ ”

Kravitz knew these weren’t theatrics. He knew what theatrics looked like from Taako, all huffing and blustering and sighing and swooning. These were something realer than that, and as his husband sank to the floor, he got down on his level. “Is it okay if I touch you right now?”

His husband said nothing but nodded as tears started streaming silently down his face. Kravitz went over and immediately wrapped him in a comforting embrace, and maybe it was something a little protective as well. He knew why Taako was so sensitive to making missteps and mistakes--he’d had a bad relationship long ago--and his heart ached for his love. Sometimes, he even felt fury about it, but well. He’d gotten his. And Kravitz had seen to that somewhat after he’d passed.

“Shh, darling… It’s okay, my love. You’re not worthless. Everyone makes mistakes--”

“But I--” He looked up at Kravitz. “I _can’t._ ”

“Yes, you can, lovely. You’re safe and okay. It’s all right to be yourself here with me.”

Taako burst into heaving sobs.

He wasn’t wearing his hat again, which struck Kravitz as odd for one moment, but he thought maybe it just hadn’t occurred to Taako in all the stress. He didn’t want to draw attention to it, not when the elf was so fragile, so he dropped it for now and settled for stroking his hair and whispering reassurances.

But he continued to forget his hat. It was… ...worrisome. Even on days that weren’t particularly stressful, days set up to be _date nights,_ he’d forget. He’d started to forget, sometimes, to put makeup on, which at first Kravitz thought was a conscious choice, until he saw Taako’s _absolutely mortified_ face.

And then one day, he forgot to cast Disguise Self.

Kravitz didn’t pressure him. He thought Taako was beautiful; he knew by now that whatever had happened in Wonderland had messed more with his self-perception than anything (which was another thing that broke his heart -- Taako deserved to feel beautiful _always_ ). He thought maybe it was actually a sign of progress, a step in the right direction.

“I’m very proud of you,” Kravitz told him in earnest, heart swelling.

“Oh, _you,_ ” Taako scoffed playfully, getting ready and looking at himself in the mirror. “What for?”

“Well, for not feeling the need to cast that spell. I know that’s been very hard for you, and I’m proud of you for taking steps to overcome that. I think you look--and this is not an exaggeration, by the way--absolutely _stunning._ ”

“What… ...what spell?” This wasn’t said playfully. He looked confused. “Oh, the one because of--fuck, what was it. What was the place. What was the _place,_ Kravvy.”

“...Wonderland, love.”

“What--what was the spell. What spell? What’s the _name_ of it?”

“...Disguise Self, dear.”

“How do I…” He looked up at Kravitz with the most terrified eyes. “How do I _cast_ it, Kravitz? How… ...how do I--”

“You… ...you don’t know how to… ...to cast it?” Kravitz had a bad feeling, a feeling like ice. A chilling, horrifying feeling, but he fought past it with everything he could. Maybe he was just dissociative; they could deal with that. They had many times.

He saw the switch flip like Taako was too scared to be earnest and had to default to something he knew. “No, I do,” he lied. “I… I was goofing.”

They worked through that day regardless. The knowledge never came, so Kravitz helped Taako look through his spellbooks to find the spell. Taako insisted it was all an elaborate prank, and that Kravitz had been “schooled,” but he didn’t buy it. As he stared up at the ceiling late at night and felt Taako’s fragile frame against him, Kravitz knew that something was wrong. He resolved to get some answers before anything escalated further.

It was best not to alarm Lup immediately, so he went to Barry instead, and hoped that he could be trusted to use discretion. The first thing he supposed he should know was whether or not the Voidfish had anything to do with this. Taako had many reasons to be nervous about forgetting things; even temporary forgetting was met with outright suspicion that hid and concealed his terror, and his entanglements with the Voidfish were the main reason for this. Perhaps, he thought, it was some side-effect? Even after all these years.

Barry denied it. No, it couldn’t have been tied to the Voidfish, because almost _everyone_ had been affected by that at some point, and he hadn’t known scores of them to be afflicted by memory loss like this years after the fact. There was, however, something he thought Kravitz should know.

He sighed. “Lup’s told me some stuff about… ...elves before. Might be, uh, relevant.”

“Such as?” Kravitz didn’t have time for vagueness.

He sighed again, and now Kravitz could tell that part of the reason for his hesitation had to do with the difficulty of the subject matter. He was just as attached to Taako as Lup was, after all, if in a different way. It made the Reaper nervous. “Well, uh… ...for one thing, aging elves are scary.”

Age. The one thing he’d always thought wouldn’t be an issue.

Kravitz took a deep breath that he didn’t need, a sharp inhale to maintain composure long enough to get to the bottom of this. “Scary _how,_ exactly?”

“Mm. Being too vague, huh? Yeah.” Barry took a moment to steady himself, too. “Well, um… Lup used to tell me about their Abuelito. Tostaada, I think his name was? Showed me some family photos one time, and… ...and honest to god, if I didn’t already know that was her grandpa, I wouldn’t’ve guessed. The dude looked like… ...well, he looked like he never aged a bit. Maybe he had some silver hairs here and there, but I mean--you might even know what I’m talking about. No wrinkles, no real indication that he’s elderly. ...but um, apparently? The mind can still go.”

It all hit Kravitz at once. _Oh._

“So you’ve got these perfectly healthy and young-looking elves who are just kind of… ...slowly… ...it’s, um. Kind of disturbing.”

 _Well,_ **_yeah,_ ** _Barry,_ said this emotional part of Kravitz. _Just a little._

“Ah, okay,” he said instead. “Makes sense. This is just kind of what old things do, after all…”

“A-Actually,” Barry  stammered, “you’d be surprised, but dementia isn’t really a given or a normal part of aging, it--”

“Fascinating, Barry,” murmured Kravitz, profoundly distracted now.

“Uh, oops,” Barry said after a moment. “Got carried away there, didn’t I? A-Anyway, I… ...I think we should tell Lup what’s going on.”

“Tell me what? What’re you dingbats _hiding_ from me?”

It was a playful jab followed by a difficult conversation. Neither of them liked to see either twin upset, but Lup was different from Taako in that she wore most of her emotions on her sleeve and reacted to them with the quickness of someone who’d just touched a hot stove, and she was very immediately angry and despondent. Barry soothed her by saying that, hey, he was reaching the home stretch anyway. They’d get to take Taako soon, and he wouldn’t have to deal with things like that for much longer. Admittedly, that was a comforting thought to all three of them, though Kravitz never wanted to _actively root_ for something like his husband’s death.

But it wasn’t enough to soothe Lup’s worries entirely, and soon she was off to confront her brother about it all. Barry was quick to follow her, and Kravitz… ...Kravitz had a bad feeling about this approach, honestly.

He was right to.

Taako was _immediately_ on the defensive. “What the _fuck_ are you talking about, Lup? Krav, what the _fuck_ is she _talking_ about?” He looked to Kravitz for reassurance, for backup, for defense.

Kravitz didn’t quite know what to say. “Love,” he began, as carefully and delicately as possible, “I kind of think she might… ...be onto something here. I’m… I’m worried about you, Taako. We all are, I think.”

The sense of betrayal on his face, even after this many years, was difficult for Kravitz to stomach. “What?” His ears flattened back as though he were a cat witnessing something profoundly offensive, eyes narrowing. “Bullshit.”

“Taako, please--”

“No, no, _no,_ ” he snapped, standing upright. “This is _bullshit._ I forget to get all gussied up ‘n’ nice for you, so you go tattle on me and tell my _sister?_ What kind of a man _does_ that?”

Oh, ow. That… ...that was wildly untrue, but it stung something fierce. “Taako, you--you know I’m not like that. You _know_ it’s not like that. I--I’ve told you--I’ve told you _so many times,_ how many times, that you’re _beautiful as you are._ Why can’t you ever get that through your--that’s not--that’s not what this is _about,_ Taako.” He had to remind himself, too. It hurt when Taako started getting his mannerisms confused with those who had come before him, those who valued him only for his appearance and will to bend to their whims and not for the fantastic person he was, but it wasn’t the topic of discussion right now and he couldn’t allow himself to be derailed by emotion. “You’re forgetting things lately.”

Taako was still furious, but it was all masking a terror that Kravitz knew by now to detect in his voice, his face, and he wanted to reach out to that part of him and try to soothe it. “How _dare_ you,” he started, voice low as a whisper.

Kravitz wished so much they didn’t have to do this. “Taako--”

“How. _Dare_ you,” he stammered, prattling on in a way that let Kravitz know just how scared he was. “You _know_ I felt like shit for forgetting that, um--that--the other day!!” Even as he said it, it was obvious that forgetting something that had happened so recently was shaking him up slightly, and he looked now to his husband more like a deer in the headlights than anything else. He was so, so _terrified,_ and everyone around him felt for him so greatly.

“Taako, dude,” Lup said in an extremely gentle voice, one that she pretty much only used around her brother. “How can you even _deny_ this when you can’t even remember what happened the other day? I know this is scary, but we’ll get through this together. You’re… ...you’re old, let’s face it, but you’re gonna be okay.”

Taako scoffed. “Okay. _Okay._ I mean, I--I _am_ okay. I don’t know what y’all are talking about. I’m _fine._ And throwing all my weird memory shit back in my face like this, when you all _know_ how much I’ve worked to be okay with that stuff, is just--is just _cruel,_ so fuck you. Fuck you all. There’s nothing _wrong_ with me, okay? There’s nothing _wrong_ with me.”

It was silent for a moment. Lup looked close to crying, Barry was rubbing her shoulders, and Kravitz just wanted so badly to be able to take Taako into his arms, but he was backing up.

“Taako, bud,” Barry spoke up softly. “Where’s your hat?”

Yet more horror dawned on the elf’s face.

“I--I’m not wearing it?” He inquired, looking with panic at everyone before gathering himself and trying to come to his senses. “I--I’m not _wearing_ it. Today. It just wasn’t--wasn’t going with the rest of the ensemble, you dig?”

But he was shaking now. One of them went to retrieve his hat.

Kravitz risked some steps forward, and this time Taako let him. He let him take him into his arms, too, trying to be as reassuring as he possibly could. “Taako, I need you to listen to me,” he coaxed him. “This is very frightening to you. I know it is, and you don’t have to pretend that it isn’t. I--I can’t understand it from a mortal perspective, but I’m sure it’s… ...well, it’s a fucking lot, right? But all that it really means is that--is that you’re growing older, and you know where we’re going soon, don’t you?”

Taako nodded numbly. “Together,” he croaked.

“Mhm. Together. All of us.”

“Fuck _yeah,_ bro,” Lup agreed. Kravitz could tell that she was awfully shaken, too, but she abandoned that the instant she knew her brother was struggling so much with it all. He didn’t understand, not from a personal perspective, but perhaps that gave him even more reason to admire the love the twins held for one another. Lup had a habit of trying to be strong too often; he was glad she had Barry to support her through things. “We’re all goin’ together, and it’s gonna be _sick._ Gonna make sure you’re welcomed into the afterlife with open arms and _pizazz,_ and it’s gonna be…” She took a deep breath in, steadying herself for him. “...it’s gonna be _worth_ all this stupid aging shit.”

Taako was hiding under the wide brim of his hat now, peeking out with one eye at her. “...Promise?”

She put her hands on his face, lifting it up so he could meet her eyes. “Promise. Right, Barry?”

“Oh, yeah,” Barry confirmed. “Afterlife’s gonna be super neat for you, Taako.”

Kravitz watched as Taako’s eyes darted from Lup to Barry to Kravitz and back again, trying to read everyone’s faces with an intensity that was typical of him. “What if I… ...what if I forget you again?” He wasn’t looking at anyone, just Lup now, and it was obvious he was trying not to cry. He pulled the brim down a little more so no one could see, but the wobble in his voice was desperate and frightened. “What… ...Lup, if I forget you again, what’re we gonna do? I--I don’t _want_ to. I don’t--I can’t go _through_ that again. I can’t be… ...alone again, I can’t--”

“Shh, shh, shh.” Kravitz was reluctant to let him go, but it was Lup’s turn to wrap him up in a hug now, holding him so close. “You’re _never_ going to be alone. You could--” Her voice faltered, just a little, and the Reaper could notice but he didn’t say anything. “You could forget me… ...a _billion_ times, okay? It won’t matter. I’m not leaving you, Taako. We’re not leaving you. You’re not going to be alone.”

“I can’t forget,” he whispered, and this time it was blatant that he was crying. “Lup, I just _can’t._ ”

“Then I’ll remind you,” she whispered back into his ear. “Every single day, okay? I’ll--I’ll do what’s necessary, okay? It… ...it’s going to be okay, babe. It really will be, ‘cuz we’re all there for you, okay?”

“I’m going to forget them _all,_ ” Taako hissed in horror, face frozen as tears spilled down and makeup ran. Kravitz hated seeing him like this more than anything. “First it’s gonna be, like, Magnus. Magnus and Lu first. Then it’s gonna be… ...then it’s gonna be Merle and Cap’n Dav. Then, then after _all_ that, I’m gonna--”

“Listen. One day at a time. Deep breath. Can you do that for me? In and out.”

Lup’s advice was for Taako, but Kravitz felt like it was for him as well.

It was something that went unsaid between all of them for a long while after that, largely because the truth intimidated them all. All of the Reapers, Kravitz included of course, had enough perspective on the grand scheme of things to know that at least Taako wouldn’t have to endure this for very long. The problem, though, was that none of them wanted him to endure it _at all,_ because all of them cared for him tremendously. And though they could reassure Taako individually and together, time away from him was almost even more torturous, because that was when they had to face the facts. He was going to forget, was already forgetting. They had to resolve to make this as painless for him as possible.

Kravitz reminded him, gently, to put on his hat every day. Sometimes reminded him to put on attire for certain climates, because they were going to somewhere unusually cold or hot. Started to diligently keep track of Taako’s schedule as well as his own so that he could remind him of important dates on the calendar, though he insisted that Taako quit working himself to the bone all the time. (“You’re one to _talk,_ Skeletor,” Taako had dismissed him playfully with a wave of his elegantly manicured hand. “You can’t work yourself down to _anything else._ ”) At Taako’s reluctant request, he started to assist him with makeup, because there were too many things about his beauty routine that the elf had started to forget.

It was surprisingly easy for these things to become commonplace, given enough time. At first, it was frightening to Kravitz to remind Taako to do things that he’d always done, to remind him of things he would never forget unless something was terribly wrong. But they fell into a certain routine, to the point where it even slipped Kravitz’s mind sometimes. The memory of Disguise Self was a haze, and Taako confessed that he exhausted himself trying to remember it anymore, so that was done for now. They could get used to anything, accomplish anything, and it was possible that maybe it wasn’t going to be that big of a deal.

He could tell himself that until certain questions started.

They were having a quiet romantic night at home, nothing amiss, when the first worrying one in a while bubbled to the surface. “Where’s Magnus?”

It was a question that was so out of place that Kravitz didn’t know how to respond.

“Come again?”

“Where’s Magnus?” He asked, actually looking around.

Maybe it was a joke? There was no reason for Magnus to be here, and his time in this realm had ended long, long ago. “Um… ...he’s not here, my sweet. He hasn’t been here for a long, long time, and this night is just for us.”

“Oh,” Taako said, brow furrowed. “Huh.”

“Are you…” He had to be careful about this. “Are you… ...are you okay, darling?”

“Oh, um,” Taako tripped over his own tongue. “Um, yeah. I’m… I’m totally good. Don’t--don’t worry about it, my dude. I just could’ve sworn… ...that I just saw Magnus…”

He did not sound as anxious as before. This made Kravitz even more worried.

Questions about the rest were soon to follow because they were not around to continuously plant their memories inside of his mind. Lup, Barry, and Kravitz became accustomed to reminding him that certain people had passed--they could get updates on how they were doing if he’d like. Lup insisted on visiting much more often, loudly announcing who she was and why she was there to Taako’s immense annoyance, and they all tried so hard to pretend it wouldn’t get any worse.

Barry was the first of the three he forgot.

“Ooh, Lulu,” he babbled, somehow giving off a much more youthful air and mannerisms than were typical of him. “Who’s _this_ hunk of tall, pale, and nerdy?”

It became apparent to them that this was not a typical question. It became apparent to them that reminding him that it was Barry Bluejeans, Lup’s husband for centuries, was not effective. He was somewhere else that they couldn’t quite reach, and so she began to play along with a script so as not to upset him. She started to introduce Barry every time they visited, in the same way; she’d always joke with him to shut up like their relationship was brand new. She always hugged him so, so close, and Barry let him know politely that he loved him already.

He started to tell long, rambling tales, many of them centered around the IPRE or the BOB. Many of them, Kravitz had already heard before. Telling him this seemed to upset him incredibly, and he was becoming so easy to agitate. So Kravitz listened over coffee to a story about Magnus on the puppy planet that he’d heard countless times; he listened to stories of Sizzle it Up raptly as though he’d never heard them before. Occasionally, he would let Taako know who someone from his story was and how they were doing. He became an expert at listening, smiling, and nodding.

It wasn’t enough.

Kravitz was a busy being and he couldn’t afford to be so distracted at work, so he still had to leave him every day, long after Taako stopped being capable of going out the way he used to. He shouldn’t have been so shocked the day he walked through the door and Taako didn’t recognize who he was, but it still felt so insurmountable. He’d had to convince his hysterical husband, still wearing his wedding ring, that he wasn’t here to hurt him. He’d never been one to act too maturely, as much as Kravitz loved him, but lately, he almost defied Kravitz with a childlike glee, refusing to engage in basic self-care and flouncing around as though he were someone much, much younger than he was. Lup was the one who was equipped to chase him and force him to do things like bathe, all while Taako complained as though a child.

And Kravitz’s name and face faded into obscurity.

“Who’re you?” He chirped like a bird, eyes far away. “You wear so much black.”

Kravitz drew a deep breath in. “I do indeed, Taako. My name is Kravitz. I’m your husband.”

“That’s silly,” he answered plainly. “I’m _married?_ ”

“Exactly so.”

“Hey, Lulu,” he giggled. “I’m _married._ ”

“You sure are, Taaks,” Lup sighed as though they hadn’t already had this exact conversation, helping him to wash his hair and threading her fingers through, almost humming. She had such a maternal instinct about her, especially with him. “Isn’t that special?”

“To a _skeleton,_ ” he added as though an afterthought.

She didn’t even bat an eyelash. “Mhm.”

Lup was the last he forgot.

He looked right into his mirror image, asked who she was, and she’d cried. She’d finally allowed herself to crumble, sinking to the floor with her head in her hands and sobbing unabashedly as Barry comforted her. Taako was scared by this, trying to comfort her hesitantly, and Kravitz tried his best to look after him so that Lup could manage to have a good cry. It was going to be over soon, he knew. The Queen had told him so. They wouldn’t have to do this much longer.

When the day finally came, they were relieved. Lup braided his hair so he could look nice. Kravitz helped apply what had always been his favorite makeup products to his face. Barry helped him into what had always been his favorite dress, and they gave him his favorite foods. Despite being physically able, he needed assistance to eat the cake, and they helped him. At least, for the most part, Taako was happy. They’d found him trying to wander off, in a daze, down the road and headed to Glamour Springs a few times; he was difficult to take out in public, because his inhibitions were gone. But he was _their_ Taako, Kravitz’s husband, and the love of his life.

So on the last day, when Taako smiled warmly at him, he smiled warmly back.

“Have we met somewhere before, handsome? You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

“I do believe we have,” Kravitz replied, playing along. “I’m Kravitz, and I love you very much.”

“That’s good,” Taako sighed, resting his head against his chest on the couch. “Because I love you, too.”

It was enough just for Kravitz to know he meant it.

**Author's Note:**

> as usual, by the time i was through with this, i was honestly not that... impressed by it? and i am very insecure about it, also. hopefully it's okay though. i know what it's like to lose an old family member to Brain Problems, so maybe part of this was written to cope with that? i'm not sure. regardless, thank you for reading and supporting. <3; love you all.


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